Container positioning apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for positioning containers on a support surface of a support, the apparatus including an engagement portion constructed and arranged to attach the apparatus to the support and a first portion extending from the engagement portion. The first portion is constructed and arranged to rest on the support surface and enable sliding movement of a container thereon. The container also includes a second portion constructed and arranged to rest on the support surface and enable sliding movement of the container thereon. A stop portion is provided between the first portion and the second portion. The stop portion is constructed and arranged to position the container at a predetermined position on the support surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field

The present invention relates to an apparatus for positioningcontainers, and in particular, reusable plastic containers, on a supportsurface.

2. Background

Groceries, such as produce, or other objects are typically placed incontainers, such as reusable plastic containers, which are placed onsupport surfaces, such as tables, for display in stores. To place thecontainers containing the groceries or other objects onto the tables,each container typically has to be lifted and placed directly at thedesired location. The containers are typically heavy when full. Toenable multiple rows of heavy containers to be placed on the supportsurface, the containers for the upper rows are lifted and placed abovethe lower rows of containers. Accordingly, an improved apparatus andmethod are needed to place heavy containers on support surfaces used todisplay the objects in the containers.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatusfor positioning containers on a support surface of a support, theapparatus including an engagement portion constructed and arranged toattach the apparatus to the support. The apparatus also includes a firstportion extending from the engagement portion. The first portion isconstructed and arranged to rest on the support surface and enablesliding movement of a container thereon. The apparatus also includes asecond portion constructed and arranged to rest on the support surfaceand enable sliding movement of the container thereon. The apparatusfurther includes a stop portion in between the first portion and thesecond portion. The stop portion is constructed and arranged to positionthe container at a predetermined position on the support surface.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a method forpositioning containers on a support surface using a containerpositioning apparatus. The method includes engaging an engagementportion of the apparatus with at least a portion of the support surfaceand placing a first container onto a first portion of the apparatus. Themethod also includes sliding the first container on the first portiontowards the stop portion and over the stop portion and sliding the firstcontainer onto a second portion of the apparatus. The method furtherincludes retaining the first container on the second portion using thestop portion, and placing a second container on the first portion.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatusfor positioning containers on a support surface of a support. Theapparatus includes an engagement portion constructed and arranged toattach the apparatus to the support and a first portion extending fromthe engagement portion, the first portion constructed and arranged torest on the support surface and enable sliding movement of a containerthereon. The apparatus also includes a second portion constructed andarranged to rest on the support surface and enable sliding movement ofthe container thereon and a stop portion in between the first portionand the second portion, the stop portion constructed and arranged toposition the container at a predetermined position on the supportsurface. The engagement portion, the first portion, the second portion,and the stop portion are integrally formed. The apparatus also includesa friction-reducing treatment to facilitate sliding of the containers onthe apparatus.

These and other aspects of the present invention, as well as the methodsof operation and functions of the related elements of structure and thecombination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become moreapparent upon consideration of the following description and theappended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all ofwhich form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts in the various figures. In one embodiment,the structural components illustrated herein can be considered drawn toscale. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings arefor the purpose of illustration and description only and are not alimitation of the invention. In addition, it should be appreciated thatstructural features shown or described in any one embodiment herein canbe used in other embodiments as well. As used in the specification andin the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for positioning containersconnected to a support in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with a containersupported by the apparatus at a predetermined position on the support inaccordance with an embodiment; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with dashedlines showing portions obstructed from view by other portions of theapparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus 10 for positioning containers 12 on asupport surface 14 of a support 15. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1,support surface 14 is defined by a slat table having a plurality ofhorizontal slats 16 and openings 18 between plurality of horizontalslats 16. However, it should be appreciated that support surface 14 maybe any surface constructed and arranged to enable objects to besupported thereon. For example, in one embodiment, support surface 14may be defined by a solid table or countertop having a contiguoussurface. The illustrated embodiment is not intended to be limiting inany way. Containers 12 may take the form of reusable plastic containers(RPC) and may be constructed and arranged to hold groceries, such asproduce or perishable items, or other objects for display in a store(e.g., a grocery store).

As illustrated in FIG. 3, apparatus 10 includes an engagement portion 20constructed and arranged to attach apparatus 10 to support 15.Engagement portion 20 may be constructed and arranged to engage with anedge of support 15. In some embodiments wherein support 15 is a slattable, engagement portion 20 may engage with an edge of support 15 orwith one of plurality of horizontal slats 16 to connect apparatus 10 tosupport 15. Apparatus 10 also includes a first portion 22 extending fromengagement portion 20. First portion 22 is constructed and arranged torest on support surface 14 and to enable sliding movement of a container12 thereon. Apparatus 10 also includes a second portion 26 constructedand arranged to rest on support surface 14 and to enable slidingmovement of container 12 thereon. At least one stop portion 24 isprovided between first portion 22 and second portion 26. Stop portion 24is constructed and arranged to position container 12 at a predeterminedposition on support surface 14, as illustrated in FIG. 2. It should beappreciated that the number of stop portions 24 in other embodiments mayvary. Apparatus 10 is constructed and arranged to be placed on supportsurface 14 to facilitate positioning of containers 12 thereon, whichwill be described in more detail below. When containers 12 are placed ontop of first portion 22 and second portion 26, first and second portions22, 26 are located between containers 12 and support surface 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, first portion 22 is a planar surface on whicha container 12 may be placed and second portion 26 is also a planarsurface on which another container 12 may be placed. In someembodiments, the planar surfaces of first portion 22 and second portion26 may be provided with a finish to facilitate sliding movement ofcontainers 12 thereon, which will be described in more detail below. Asshown in FIG. 2, support surface 14 may be inclined, and thus, firstportion 22 and second portion 26 of apparatus 10 situated adjacent tosupport surface 14 may be inclined as a result. However, it should beappreciated that support surface 14 may also be level in otherembodiments. Stop portion 24 is provided between first and secondportions 22, 26 to position container 12 on first portion 22, as shownin FIG. 2. In embodiments where apparatus 10 is positioned on aninclined support surface 14, stop portion 24 prevents container 12 fromsliding downwards towards second portion 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, support 15 includes a ledge 28 extending abovesupport surface 14. It should be appreciated that ledge 28 may beoptional. In embodiments where support surface 14 is inclined, ledge 28may be constructed and arranged to abut against a portion of a container12 placed on second portion 26 of apparatus 10 to prevent slidingmovement of container 12 downward. Container 12 placed on second portion26 may be part of a first row 30 of containers 12 and container 12placed on first portion 22 may be part of a second row 32 of containers12. Apparatus 10 may facilitate the stacking of containers 12 into firstand second rows 30, 32, which will be discussed in more detail below. Insome embodiments, additional rows of containers 12 may be added tosupport surface 14 by adding additional apparatus 10 to support surface14 in a parallel relation. It is also contemplated that additional rowsmay be added by varying the length of apparatus 10 and adding additionalstop portions. It should also be appreciated that the number of stopportions provided on apparatus 10 may vary. Accordingly, the number ofportions of apparatus 10 constructed and arranged to receive containers12 and enable containers 12 to slide thereon may also vary depending onthe number of stop portions. It should be appreciated that the terms“first row” and “second row” are used herein to refer to rows that areparallel to each other. In embodiments in which support surface 14 isinclined, the first row may be a lower row and the secondary row may bean upper row. The use of the terms “first” and “second” is not intendedto limit the rows to only the first two rows. That is, the “first row”and “second row” are used to describe the relative positions of the rowsrelative to each other (one is higher up than the other, or one iscloser to the person stocking the support than the other).

FIG. 3 shows engagement portion 20 of apparatus 10 in more detail. Inthis embodiment, engagement portion 20 includes a rear portion 34 and abottom portion 36. An opening or cut-out 35 may be formed in rearportion 34. In one embodiment, a plane defined by rear portion 34 may begenerally perpendicular to the planar surface of first portion 22. Inone embodiment, a plane defined by bottom portion 36 may be generallyparallel to first portion 22. Apparatus 10 may also include an extensionportion 38 extending past the intersection of first portion 22 and rearportion 34. Containers 12 may be slid onto extension portion 38 tofacilitate removal of containers 12 from apparatus 10, which will bedescribed in more detail later. The formation of the extension portion38 may result in the cut-out 35 to be formed in the apparatus, whichwill be described in more detail later.

A lip portion 40 may be formed at one end of extension portion 38 suchthat a plane defined by lip portion 40 is generally perpendicular to theplane formed by extension portion 38 and generally parallel to the planeformed by rear portion 34. The lip portion 40 functions with theextension portion 38 to facilitate removal of the containers 12 from theapparatus 10. In other words, the lip portion 40 and the extensionportion 38 help prevent the containers 12 from catching on the apparatus10 when the containers 12 are slid away from the stop portion 24 duringremoval of the containers 12 from the apparatus 10, which will bedescribed in more detail below. A portion of first portion 22, rearportion 34 of engagement portion 20, and bottom portion 36 of engagementportion 20 may define a receiving space 42 constructed and arranged toreceive at least a portion of support 15. Accordingly, when apparatus 10is engaged with support 15, a portion of support 15, for example, anedge of support 15, is received within receiving space 42 of apparatus10. As such, in one embodiment, engagement portion 20 and a portion offirst portion 22 may form a C-shaped structure that enables apparatus 10to “hook” onto support 15. In embodiments where support 15 is a slattable, receiving space 42 may receive a portion of slat 16 such thatengagement portion 20 is “hooked” onto slat 16 of the slat table.Optional openings 37 may be provided on bottom portion 36 of apparatus10, openings 37 being constructed and arranged to receive screws orother attachment mechanisms that enable apparatus 10 to be removablyfixed to support 15.

As described above, apparatus 10 may be made of integrally formedportions. For example, first portion 22, second portion 26, stop portion24, and engagement portion 20 may be integrally formed. In oneembodiment, apparatus 10 may be manufactured or formed using a singlesheet of material, just for example, steel sheet metal. The sheet metalmay be stamped to form the various portions of apparatus 10. In oneembodiment, stop portion 24 may be formed by stamping (e.g., bending)the sheet metal between first portion 22 and second portion 26. Stopportion 24 may be constructed and arranged to enable container 12 to beboth lifted and slid over stop portion 24, and retained on a firstportion 22 so as to prevent sliding movement of container 12 towardssecond portion 26 when apparatus 10 is on an inclined support surface14. In some embodiments, ball bearings may be provided on stop portion24 to facilitate sliding movement of containers 12 over stop portion 24.A portion of the sheet metal may be cut (e.g., by laser cutting, punchpressing, or other methods) to form extension portion 38, lip 40, andopening 35. That is, after the sheet metal has been cut along edges 44,46, and 48, rear portion 34 of apparatus 10 may be formed by stamping(e.g., bending) a portion of the sheet metal perpendicular to the restof the sheet metal. Accordingly, extension portion 38 is formed andextends past first portion 22 after rear portion 34 has been formed bythe bending of the sheet metal. Lip 40 may be formed by stamping (e.g.,bending) a portion of the sheet metal at an end of extension portion 38.Bottom portion 36 may be formed by stamping (e.g., bending) the sheetmetal again after rear portion 34 has been formed such that bottomportion 36 is generally perpendicular to rear portion 34. In oneembodiment, manufactured apparatus 10 may be about 40.7 inches in lengthand about 9.5 inches in width. In some embodiments, apparatus 10 has awidth that is about ⅔ of the width of container 12. It should beappreciated that the measurements of the entire apparatus 10 and anyportions of apparatus 10 may vary.

Apparatus 10 may include a friction-reducing treatment 23 on a surfacethereof to facilitate sliding of the containers thereover. In oneembodiment, friction-reducing treatment 23 may comprise a hammer finish,while in an alternate embodiment, friction-reducing treatment 23 maycomprise a powder coating. It should be appreciated that apparatus 10may be provided with any of a variety of friction-reducing treatmentsand should not be limited to the previously described embodiments.

The above described method of manufacturing apparatus 10 is not intendedto be limiting, and it should be appreciated that in some embodiments,apparatus 10 may be formed using other methods and using variousmaterials, and any of the portions of apparatus 10 may be separatelyformed and then connected together to form apparatus 10. It should alsobe appreciated that in some embodiments, engagement portion 20 may bemade of different materials from the rest of apparatus 10. For example,in some embodiments, engagement portion 20 may be made of resilientmaterials that enables engagement portion 20 to “clamp” onto a portionof support 15. It should be appreciated that other clamping functions orclamps may be added in other embodiments. Apparatus 10 may also be madeof other materials, such as, just for example, various types of metals,wood, plastic, cardboard, or a combination thereof.

Apparatus 10 may be used to facilitate positioning of containers 12,such as the reusable plastic containers, as follows in accordance withan embodiment. A container 12 to be positioned on second row 32 may belifted and placed on second portion 26 of apparatus 10. One end ofcontainer 12 may then be slightly lifted onto stop portion 24, and thenslid over stop portion 24 and onto first portion 22 and then slid intoplace on first portion 22. In embodiments where support surface 14 isinclined, stop portion 24 prevents the sliding movement of container 12downwards towards second portion 26. Another container 12 may be liftedand placed onto second portion 26 to form first row 30.

To remove containers 12 from apparatus 10, container 12 on secondportion 26 may be lifted off of apparatus 10. To remove container 12from second row 32, container 12 may be slid a short distance on firstportion 22 in a direction away from stop portion 24 and onto extensionportion 38. The extension portion 38 and the lip portion 40 of theapparatus 10 may facilitate the sliding movement by preventing thecontainers 12 from catching on the apparatus 10 during sliding movementaway from the stop portion 24. One end of container 12 may then beslightly lifted onto stop portion 24 and slid over stop portion 24 andonto second portion 26 in a controlled manner. Container 12 may then belifted off of second portion 26.

Apparatus 10 enables and facilitates the stacking of filled containers12 into rows without having to form first row 30 and then form secondrow 32 of containers 12 by lifting filled containers 12 and placing themabove containers 12 in first row 30. Instead, apparatus 10 enablescontainers 12 to simply be placed on first row 30, slightly lifted abovestop portion 24, slid over stop portion 24, and then slid into secondrow 32 and retained at a predetermined position on support surface 14 bystop portion 24 of apparatus 10.

Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration based on what is currently considered to be the mostpractical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that suchdetail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limitedto the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any embodiment can be combined with one or morefeatures of any other embodiment.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for positioning containers on asupport surface of a support, the apparatus comprising: an engagementportion constructed and arranged to attach the apparatus to the support;a first portion extending from the engagement portion, the first portionconstructed and arranged to rest on the support surface and enablesliding movement of a container thereon; a second portion constructedand arranged to rest on the support surface and enable sliding movementof the container thereon; and a stop portion in between the firstportion and the second portion, the stop portion constructed andarranged to position the container at a predetermined position on thesupport surface.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second portiondefines a planar surface.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stopportion is an elongated protrusion that extends away from a top surfaceof the first portion.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstportion defines a planar surface.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe engagement portion, the first portion, the second portion, and thestop portion are integrally formed.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe engagement portion is configured to hook onto a portion of thesupport.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is comprisedof a single piece of sheet metal.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe engagement portion and the first portion form a C-shaped structure.9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises afriction-reducing treatment.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein thefriction-reducing treatment comprises a powder coating.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 9, wherein the friction-reducing treatment comprisesa hammer finish.
 12. A method for positioning containers on a supportsurface of a support using a container positioning apparatus comprisingan engagement portion, a first portion, a second portion, and a stopportion provided between the first and second portions, the methodcomprising: engaging the engagement portion of the apparatus with atleast a portion of the support surface; placing a first container ontothe second portion of the apparatus; sliding the first container on thesecond portion towards the stop portion and over the stop portion;sliding the first container onto the first portion of the apparatus;positioning the first container on the first portion using the stopportion, and placing a second container on the second portion.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, further comprising lifting an end of the firstcontainer and then sliding the first container over the stop portion.14. An apparatus for positioning containers on a support surface of asupport, the apparatus comprising: an engagement portion constructed andarranged to attach the apparatus to the support; a first portionextending from the engagement portion, the first portion constructed andarranged to rest on the support surface and enable sliding movement of acontainer thereon; a second portion constructed and arranged to rest onthe support surface and enable sliding movement of the containerthereon; and a stop portion in between the first portion and the secondportion, the stop portion constructed and arranged to position thecontainer at a predetermined position on the support surface, whereinthe engagement portion, the first portion, the second portion, and thestop portion are integrally formed, and a friction-reducing treatment tofacilitate sliding of the containers on the apparatus.
 15. The apparatusof claim 14, wherein the friction-reducing treatment comprises a powdercoating.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the friction-reducingtreatment comprises a hammer finish.